Balika Badhu fame Neha Marda bags deal on Shark Tank India: “A dream playing out in real time"

Neha Marda pitch her in product in Shark Tank

• Neha Marda pitched her alum-based deodorant Phitku on Shark Tank India
• Anupam Mittal and Aman Gupta invested Rs 1.8 crore each for 1% equity in Phitku
• Phitku valued at Rs 180 crore; investors receive 5% royalty until Rs 5.4 crore recouped.

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TV actress Neha Marda, who played Gehna on Colors’ longest-running show, Balika Badhu, recently graced the Shark Tank India stage, living her entrepreneurship dreams.

Along with the other two co-founders, Marda pitched her innovative deodorant to the sharks on episode 16 of the popular show. They offered a deal arrangement that was advantageous to both the investors and the pitches.

Judges Anupam Mittal and Aman Gupta approved the suggested valuation of Rs 180 crore and closed the purchase for Rs 1.8 crore each for 1% of the company's equity.

The TV actress took to her Instagram and shared a video, providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse at her time on the show.

Alongside the video, she penned in the caption, “Still not over last night. Watching Phitku on Shark Tank was emotional in a way we didn’t expect. From random ideas and small discussions to seeing it on that screen, in front of the Sharks… it felt unreal.”

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A post shared by Neha Marda (@nehamarda)

Neha added, “Every cheer, every silent prayer during tough questions, every proud smile in this room, this was more than a watch party. This was a dream playing out in real time. We’ve seen the effort, the doubts, the behind-the-scenes chaos… and that’s why this moment hits different.”

She talked about her dreams and added, “Just the beginning. Bigger dreams. Bigger stages. And we’re taking every one of you with us. [ Shark Tank India, Phitku, Watch Party ] Missed my brother @mardasumit And Rahul. Wish we could have watched together.”

In the episode, Neha impressed the Sharks with her innovative pitch, which began with a dance performance showcasing her product, Phitku, an alum-based deodorant.

Marda modernised a centuries-old idea with a variety of flavours, eccentric twist-out packaging, and a handy stick form. The sharks listened sympathetically as she talked about how her pregnancy caused her to develop strong body odour and how it affected her confidence.

She asserted that the fact that her product provided consumers with a long-lasting, fragrance-free, and toxin-free deodorising experience was what made it unique in the market.

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The TV actress’ co-founders emphasised the company's advantages and defended the Rs 999 price tag, which was a perfect fit for her personal challenges.

Some sharks, however, were difficult to convince and unimpressed by the founders' lack of positioning transparency.

Three of the five sharks—Namita Thapar, Ritesh Agarwal, and Amit Jain—withdrew, while Anupam Mittal and Aman Gupta reached a fair compromise.

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After extensive negotiations with Marda and her co-founders, Mittal and Gupta came to an agreement that offered Phitku Rs 1.8 crores apiece from the investors in exchange for 1% of the equity.

In contrast to Anupam Mittal's initial offer of Rs 1.8 crore for 3% of the shares, this put the company's valuation at Rs 180 crores, which was what had been proposed. However, the two investors said they would receive a 5% portion of the royalties till Rs 5.4 crores was recovered.